CHRISTCHURCH BOARD'S OBJECTIONS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12937, 17 October 1907, Page 9

CHRISTCHURCH BOARD'S OBJECTIONS.

J 111, ?«"?,£ Cd, h» ton fort • Wh,t v nnd or the successful linancial f *°?L '£S£! dfiiWto n<l.l that I' y It. ooi ton tho OTHent intonHon 3 £ ffiu h to prorao for _»•» "' ' SffiSly V the electors for, that ■ ffother municipal purpose, and ir KStitKi ftdy. Tliis becomes inB when the matters so contrqll3"ie matters of purely managerial ' *C*JirtcJrareh ie *«m in «■ different " Mition to tho other tramway; mnnwi- •; S3ti« in New Zealand, ac ft.is tho . S, centre where the pwije elect Tpp'rceentativce to nia/iago, tho tram-. that jn othor centres tho nature of th« , corborttion's genw&l work throws tho - mJwißement of tU trams very largely .' kto the hands of itfl offioere, and that ■ ,omo Govern nvent euperviaion is re- ' attired, t«w <* naoi *W\ t°.Ohr»t- , Auroh where the Board, by virtue or 1 ih« faot that its duties are confined to ; tramways, ifl in a position to e«p»rvi3e • tho work in eonje detail and should bo t trttated co to do, ..... \ in detail, tho committee's objections I.taiy be noted ea follmve:— Action 2. Motorman'n Certific*t«B. —The Hoard employs well oBc«r)i who undertake the training and <B»mtaation of motorroen. Thi» claueo fwbttld creete a duplication of officers • vith wnneoewary expenw and possible Vnfliot. No motorman ie permitted to tArk in Chriebchurch unleea he hold* the eortificato roquir*di by the Board. The examination referred to in the 'dmm> pre-supposea a written examination wlwwae in praotioe it ha« been found that men qualified in erery way to wi ac motormen, might not euc(HA in twaeing a written examination. , &eh centre, moreover, has its own, woulier conditions to provide 1 For. Tho equipment of cars, ■ including the brnko attachments, eodditiona of ■ traffic euoli as Igrades, ourr«r> eto., are .different in awry city in the Dominion. A uni- ' ffotm «»mination etioh ea ie provided i.w>d*f tie Inspection of Machinery Act, /,, itid vhiob-ia evidently intended under . tb* olWBf, would therefore be of little; tftlue for teat purposes if applied temoto/mon. Quito apart from other the finanoial interests l»f;tt|.poar<J will «ne«r© that every tW m taken to employ competent men ,;W ( Wd.t?»Qcommitlle I tn«^tKtft v tHo / nsHer should bo left in its hands. ~ \ Section 8. Inipectlon of Tramwaye. already aumciently. provided • l 'MM ' jijo. Board's Order.in-Counoil, 'wikr which the nowera of the Minis"tot Ire considoTftWe. The clause, how"tW* co« further nnd givw the .Minia- . wpower at any time, even if original "pllM ire approved) and the work carrfiMflttt to tbo aatiefaotion of tbo ! D»p*rtjncnt, to not only alter perma- ■ fwnt iray, rollinc stock, eto., but to '/ida to them if he thinks the trafflo >'«6''f*q«iree at fha expense of the vJJolrtl. If the Bonrd holds different , rtm regardine tho reqnirementa of tlw traffio (and surely it ia in the beet ■ position to judge) ifc has no alternn- , \m bni to obey the Miniater'a mandeti under penalty for disobedience ot a fm of £20 a day, .. ' Section 9. Regulatione.»--The Oo- ■ .Wjrwnent onuat nave had Auckland ' <W in view when this section was drafted, aa that it the only centre '.*we the lioeneing of care in carried ,'OUiby the Corporation, and the oh- ' • j«et of the datue is to deprive tho ';Awkland Council of that power. In ''-tfChrirtfchnroh «o liceivees are issued or |/>tr»tt reqnired, na the governing body 1 i itself 4<oeret«a. To be consistont, how* ' 1 W«r, the Oov«mraent ahould also take !■!' ! w»er to Hcenae oabe, motor-cara. etc. . *fyndor the datue tho Government •.tVWould have power to permit cans to •'rarry only paewnnera for whom soatacoomwodation ie evailoble. This ' iweuld be • eerious matter in Chriit-.-nhHreh, where the oars are built with -"gweial prorieioa for "etanding" loadi. •' ,To euit the convenience of the public, ,\ the can ran half.empty on many trips, ' infl, ooncequently at a lose, but the . - Million v recdverod hy tho heavy Motding thai take* place at other 'ftunei. If conductor* were required to - -FfWnfc peoplo front boarding cars, ■ ,<TOi l If plenty of atanding room wero they would hare endlew *55- ' w consequent continual 4 frWwn, so f«r ai the puhlio aro con*«n»W»- Furthermore, the conveniences , m 'the public would be «nrtailed con»wrablv. as (t would b«« impossibl© to Haw sufficient extra rolling stock <nul - watfatlable for any emergency which eight ame, Jf no etanding room wero , pWttmtd, M«ny paseengors who now V '"•• would iiniTer th#«e conditinns liave , w walk, which would invariAWv hap- •'>}**•' a time when enrh deprivetion .jeiia Jh) most inconvenient. To take , I™* tee hands of men spwiallr elected « II j 1 * >eo,, ' e tl,O discretion with repw WNtction of etoppine-places ~#n*■*!s t . lh * fe rtvh*- Wf,J, *« the con"*l authority In Wellington neprf« wla ° *• noted in order that the • fthZT , ** , - of . *"* position may bo at tiSS m <3>--Tli© present Ordors-in-H"»ncil wider which tho Bonrd JRwnrk".JSLY*f* foteined only aftor ennsider- / r"«TTonbJp, inrolviuir months of nninsi^ w h^]) tho PirMie WorV* ■ «fWnneiii'a oWHals nnd the Ro-ml. aSH Z^ ,0 ! , . , ,T ith ,I,f » 'orce of law, ' «W i"*N* to b<> *uper«o(l«l by ff, at *"• discretion of the MinisowlmSI 0 !! 5 - , (3WT "c makini; of its ml!; 1,, ' , «hould eurely remain tho •* Ter;r ,ocal in x '«' WeuM ;:* J hla «ection, if made law. *d , l R° T fm»nent is wmzern- "* e w * m <**r instance • . J *SI MiiSr l ?!. 01,4 '*' 6 ?* in Auckland titafcn* th lt c of ihe promoter &'!&$! nLV ,, * eonrf iti»n« in Wflbefore Trim- ' "«Rf A£?""rS rovi ? ion , the is- ;-'; \m? m m of *c Public Works Act, '■ t0 5a«., 1?,,,,1, , iry 1 c t0 Accidenta. of those aectioL'Si

chow that the proposed chuee in the Tramways Bill ie unnecessary. Section 8. Consent of Electors.— The Bill extends tho franchise to "electors" in. polls taken relating to issuing of authorising orders, and tho soiling, leasing, or purchasing of tramways. At present this ie confined to ratepayers. The franchise in tho Boards Act provides for the vote of ratepayers only on mattora relating to loans or rates, the principle Icing recognised that control of financial operations should be confined to thoee whose properties ore pledged as security. Aβ the celling, or leasing, or purchasing of a tramway would bo a financial proceeding, for which the propertied or the ratopaj'ers would bo required as security, the principlo alroady recognised in tho Board's Act ehould Iki maintained, md tho franchise bo limited to tbo ratepayers. TIIO whole Bill is designed to increaso tho powers of the Government, and to limit the powers of the local bodies, and thie to a considerable extent. In view of the above and other considerations, tho conimitteo confidently nppoals to tho local members of Parliament to 6tren»tous!y resist tho passage of the Bill. If this cannot ho dono euccewfully, every means should be exhausted to limit its application to privutfly-owncd tramways, or to exempt tramw<iye owned by tho public and operated cither by a Municipal Council or a Special Board.,